Junta Airstrike Kills Three at Karen Bible School
Attack occurred in the afternoon despite no nearby fighting; six were wounded, one later died while being evacuated toward Thailand.
On November 3, junta forces struck a Christian Bible school in Daebuno village, Hpapun (Mutraw) District, Karen State, Myanmar, killing three female students and wounding six others.
The attack took place around 3–4 p.m. Local accounts and Karen National Union officials said there was no active fighting in the area when a fighter jet dropped at least ten bombs on the school compound. An hour of drone bombardment followed. Two students died at the scene. A third succumbed to her injuries while being taken toward Thailand for hospital care.
Targeting of Faith Schools
Christian Solidarity Worldwide condemned the assault as part of a systematic pattern of attacks on Christian villages, faith schools, and civilian infrastructure in ethnic minority regions. The school compound was directly hit, according to local confirmation.
The November 3 strike follows earlier bombings in the same region, including an October attack that killed a child. Successive raids have spread fear and driven displacement among Christian communities in Karen State, where many ethnic Karen maintain strong Christian practice and run Bible schools to form young believers.
Civilians and students remain exposed. Rights advocates and local officials describe repeated aerial and drone strikes on places of worship, education, and daily life rather than solely on combat positions. Families and pastors in Mutraw and surrounding districts face the painful choice of flight or of remaining under threat as the conflict grinds on.
The Church has long accompanied persecuted Christians in Myanmar’s borderlands. Parishes, religious institutes, and solidarity networks continue to call for the protection of civilians, the safety of schools and chapels, and an end to indiscriminate attacks that strike the innocent at prayer and study. The three young women killed on November 3 died while pursuing formation in the faith; their deaths join a lengthening toll on Christian life in Karen State.